


Love Theme

by bluestargirl6 (pressdbtwnpages)



Category: Veronica Mars (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-09-30
Updated: 2005-09-30
Packaged: 2017-10-04 14:45:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/31393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pressdbtwnpages/pseuds/bluestargirl6
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>Up until this moment they thought they knew what love was.</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	Love Theme

**Author's Note:**

> Set immediately post 2x1

All Duncan can see is the bus going over the cliff, replaying over and over again the splash of yellow against brilliant blue sky, deep blue water. Swerve, smash, fly, fall, repeat. He's going crazy, he knows it, and he just doesn't care.

Meg is gone. Dead. And he can't get past that thought. He's never really lost anyone. Not like this. Lilly's death was… well, complicated, not to mention dulled by drugs. Duncan is feeling every fresh jab of losing Meg.

He pictures Meg, still on the bus, her blond hair streaming up away from her face in a halo, her eyes wide and terrified.

Veronica squeezes his hand laying limply on between them on the limousine seat. Reflexively he wraps his hand around hers and squeezes back.

******

Duncan squeezes her hand and it feels like a dying man's grip. His hand is cold and clammy. Veronica wants to jerk away.

She can't quite process what has just happened. That Meg is gone. Miss Dumas. The others. All dead. So fast. This isn't how death happens, she wants to inform the car of stunned passengers, death is insidious and carefully plotted, death isn't a senseless accident.

The limo is full of grief and guilt. Dick has gone strangely white and silent, leaving Beaver to the making of inappropriate comments. But Beaver has too much of a conscious, too much of a soul to do much but clear his throat and shift a lot. Gia is trembling and ringing her hands muttering "oh my God, oh my God, oh my God."

Veronica wants to jerk away from all of it, but she doesn't dare let go.

******

His girlfriend is alive, Duncan reminds himself as he relaxes into her grip. And his relief at Veronica's riding up intact is tempered by the fact that she rode up on the back of Weevil's motorcycle. He thinks that Weevil's involvement shouldn't be a factor. At least it wasn't Logan. At least Veronica's alive. But still, the fact doesn't bring him as much joy as it should, doesn't soothe his grief. Meg is dead.

Up until this moment Duncan thought he knew what love was. Hazy tinted afternoons close to someone. Smiling and sweetness and light. Duncan thought love was school dances and pool parties. Hand-holding and chaste public kisses.

Two blond girls, cheerleaders, princesses, dead by Duncan's hand. Maybe not in the most literal sense, but he loved them both and what else did they have in common? First Lilly, now Meg.

Veronica's still here, still blond, still more likely to burn than drown. That feels somehow wrong.

******

Veronica's lucky to be alive, she knows that. This is the second brush she's had with death in five months and she wants to celebrate her living. Wants to feel truly alive.

And somehow it's important to her that Logan knows. That she's okay, that she almost wasn't. She wants to meet him at the Camelot, tell Duncan they just need to talk in neutral territory, and kiss Logan senseless. She wants to fall into bed with Logan, and, well, not do anything. Press her fingers into his shoulders and feel the muscles rippling under his skin. Trace his scars and press her head against his chest and breathe in unison with him. She wants to be wrapped in strong arms, mashed up too hard against Logan's lean body and be breathed against.

Up until this moment Veronica thought she knew what love was. Softness, sweetness, shared memories and laughter. She thought love was dates and flowers. Hand-holding and chaste public kisses.

She's alive. She wants to feel electrified. And Duncan feels like a corpse.

******

Duncan's reevaluating his idea of love. Love is continuous, steady, solid. Love is sweet and kind and self-sacrifice and faith. Love is waiting for someone to come home, having faith that they will. Love is not giving up when you're scared. Love is Meg gripping his hand supportively. Love is dead.

Meg is gone. They'll never get another chance.

******

Veronica hears Duncan's breath catch and wonders how long they can keep up the pretense, now that they've both realized that what they have is pretense and not a relationship.

She's reevaluating her idea of love. Love is blind, stupid, scary trust. Love is hot and hard and dangerous and good. Love is instinctively rushing to someone's aid. Love is opening yourself to let someone hurt you over and over and over again. Love is Logan holding her hands and telling her all he cares about is her. Love is him meaning it.

******

Duncan is water and Veronica is fire and they never would have worked. Even before Lilly died, before they thought they might be siblings. They've been playing games since before they ever kissed. Dressing up and pretending to be people they aren't. Because that's what they thought love was, putting yourself aside for someone else.

Veronica wants to jerk away and Duncan wants to just let go and it's only a matter of time before they do.


End file.
